Illini Madness moved to Huff Hall

Thursday

Sep 30, 2010 at 12:01 AMSep 30, 2010 at 12:53 PM

Moving Illini Madness to Huff Hall, Illinois hopes the official start of college basketball practice on Oct. 15 is a loud and crazy night before a crowd loaded with students in the 4,500-seat arena tucked in the heart of campus.

John Supinie

Moving Illini Madness to Huff Hall, Illinois hopes the official start of college basketball practice on Oct. 15 is a loud and crazy night before a crowd loaded with students in the 4,500-seat arena tucked in the heart of campus.

Admission is free and open to the public. Doors open at 10 p.m., and the program will begin when Huff is full. A line is expected to form early. The building will be cleared after the Illinois-Purdue volleyball match earlier that night. Illinois wants to loud atmosphere that night, when Rock Island senior guard Chasson Randle, a long-time recruiting target, makes his official campus visit.

"Two of my goals for this year's Madness event were to place a strong emphasis on student attendance and create a very loud and energized atmosphere for our players to enjoy,'' coach Bruce Weber said. "We believe Huff Hall is the best place to make that happen. We've seen tremendous growth in student season tickets the past two years, so having Illini Madness right in the heart of campus at Huff also is a nice reward for the Orange Krush and other Illinois students who buy season tickets.''

The event will feature shooting and dunk contests. Players will be introduced, followed by a short scrimmage. The evening will also include Steve Porter, one of the nation's most popular club DJs.

The school announced the orange and blue scrimmage on Oct. 24 at Assembly Hall will have shooting and dunk contests along with enhanced player introductions for anyone not able to attend Illini Madness. Admission to the scrimmage is $10.